King Kong

Ethan Buckler once played bass for Slint, a Kentucky outfit whose ultra-serious approach to modern rock was rightly beloved by critics. Apparently all those good notices became a drag, though, because shortly after appearing on 1989's Steve Albini-produced Tweez, he split to form King Kong, a group whose brand of...

By Michael Roberts

May 24, 2007

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Ethan Buckler once played bass for Slint, a Kentucky outfit whose ultra-serious approach to modern rock was rightly beloved by critics. Apparently all those good notices became a drag, though, because shortly after appearing on 1989's Steve Albini-produced Tweez, he split to form King Kong, a group whose brand of deadpan dance music quickly attracted reviewers' barbs. Nevertheless, Buckler has devoted the better part of two decades to his defiantly idiosyncratic vision, and Buncha Beans, released in March on Drag City, offers a typical serving of strangeness. Take the environmentally themed "Bulldozers," which is built upon witty keyboard grooves and Buckler's whimsically monotonal delivery of lyrics such as "My father and my mother/My sister and my brother/We follow one another/We're a herd of caribou." The results are apt to leave aesthetes cold. Still, folks with a taste for the absurd will likely consider King Kong the rare sequel that's more fun than the original.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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